Spray gun



Mmm, 1947.

H. C. STOCKDALE )SPRAY GUN Original Filed July 3l, 1940 llllllllllllllllllllllll fl Patented Mar. 4, 1947 f i spaar GUN Harry C. Stockdale, Ravenna, h10, assignor to Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Original application July 31, 1940, Serial No. 348,749. Divided and this application March 26, 1943, Serial N0. 480,613

6 Claims.

This invention relates to spray guns and particularly to spray guns operating under relatively high pressure.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel and eillcient spray gun. the operation of which is relatively easy and which embodies.

means for controlling the form of the spray produced thereby which can be manipulated without removing the hands from the gun.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a spray gun having a novel valve trigger which may be locked to relieve the operator from pressure thereof while the valve is open, but which may be released from loclged condition by a slight pressure on the trigger. f

This application is a division of my co-pending application for U. S. Letters Patent Serial No. 348,749, illed July 31, 1940, for a Spray gun, and

which has matured into Patent Number 2,362,946,`

November 14, 1944.

The manner of accomplishing the aforesaid objects, as well as further objects and advantages.

will be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a preferred embodiment of the spray gun oi' my invention, showing the trigger valve closed and the spray control in a fine spray position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view corresponding to the right hand half of Fig. 1, but illustrating the spray control mechanism positioned so as to throw a solid pencil-like stream of liquid from said gun.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of the handle portion of said gun, illustrating the operation of the trigger-mechanism to crack the valve open.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating further opening of the trigger valve after this has been cracked, as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on thev porting and controlling the gun. Formed in the butt member I I is a. liquid passage i3,' there being a hose connection I4 at the outer end of this for lili.

connecting a hose to the gun. Also provided in the butt member Il to control the passage Il is a valve II including a valve ball I8 which is urged against a seat I1 by a pressure spring I8 and is adapted to be lifted from this seat by a valve stem I9 which enters the passage I3 through a packing gland 20.

The pistol grip I2 is hollow and has fulcrum pins 25 and 26, which are disposed varying distances from the stem I 9, and a latch pin 21 on the opposite side of the stem therefrom. Mounted in the grip I2 is a trigger 30 lhaving slots II and 32 which receive the pins 25 and 28 respectively as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4.

Pivotally mounted by a pin 33 on the trigger 30 is a latch 3l having a hook 35 which is adapted to be hooked over the pin 21 when the trigger til is compressed so as to hold the valve IB open.

The position of the latch 34 when thus latching the trigger open is shown in broken lines in Fig.4.

The latch 34 is urged into the position in 'whichI it is shown in full lines in Figs. i, 3 and 4 by a coil spring 36. Thus, if the trigger 30 is compressed to open the valve Il and while it is compressed the latch ll is rocked into the broken line position 38 shown in Fig. 4 and the released, the latch will hold the trigger in compressed position. In order to release the trigger 30 from the latch 34, it is now only necessary to v press the trigger slightly, whereupon the spring 36 returns the latch to its full line position. i n v Y, the drawings so that when the hand ism/gain relaxed from the trigger, the latter returns to its full line position shown in Fig. 1.

It is also to be noted that in operation the valve i5 by the trigger 30, the4 initial motion of the latter, which cracks the valve-that is, which first opens it against the pressure of liquid there.- against-constitutes va rotation oi' the trigger 30 about the pin 26, thus giving a high degree oi' leverage to the trigger in cracking the valve. After the valve is cracked, however, not so much pressure is necessary to further open it, and in order to get a considerable movement during subsequent swinglng of the trigger Sli,` thepin 23 provides a fulcrum for the trigger 3|)y as soon as Vofthe valve I5 as shown in Fig. 4.

The spray gun i0 also includes a primary barrel 4B and a secondary barrel 4I adjacent ends of trigger sleeve 48 includes acylindrical quill 46, the space inside which is partially relieved by a shallow recess 41 formed in the barrel 4|). The quill 4B has a friction grip covering 4l which may be of corrugated rubber and a cylindrical cam'49A in which a cam groove 50 is formed.

The secondary barrel 4| has a nozzle member B screwed into its front end, this nozzle member being of relatively small cross-section. the

portion thereof of largest diameter being flush with the outer surface of the barrel 4|. The nozzle member 80 has a' liquid whirling chamber 6| which is of smaller diameter than the interior4 of the barrel 4| and is connected with this barrel by a beveled niiet 82 provided on the inner end of the nozzle member 6l. The chamber has a tapered forward end which communicates with a narrow opening 63. The nozzle member 60 is formed with a nipple I4 which is threaded to receive a cap B5 which compresses a disc 66 and a packing washer 61 against the front end of the nozzle, the disc 48 having a central aperture of a size suitable for particulai kinds of spraying operations for which it is desired to use the gun l0.

The adapter 42 is provided with an opening having a packing gland 69 which is concentric with the secondary barrel 4 Longltudinally slidable in the secondary barrel 4| and self-guided by the interior surface of said barrel so asto be axially centered therein at all times under various operating conditions, is a liquid guiding and controlling device 1li. This control device includes an assembly and operating shaft 1| which extends slidably through the gland G9 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The front end of this shaft is threaded into a liquid spreading and whirling head 12 having an expanding frustoconical outer surface 13 and a counter-frustaconical surface 14 at its front end, from whichv extends a tubular whirl sleeve 15. This sleeve has formed therein a series of slots 16, the latter lying in planes which are parallel with the axis ofthe barrel 4| and equi-distant from said axis so that said slots 16 have a spiral relation to the axis of the barrel.

It is to be noted that the sleeve 1l is -of such a diameter as to slidably nt into the chamber Il when the device 1|! is slid in a rightwarddirec tion in the barrel 4I. It is also to be noted that the frusto-conical surface 14 is disposed substan-4 tially parallel to the frusta-conical surface of the fillet 83 so that as the head 121s moved to insert the sleeve 15 into the chamber 6| the annular passageway bounded by the frusta-conical surface 14 and the fillet 82 is uniform in thickness at various points therein.

The liquid guide and control'device 10 includes a spider sleeve `lll having a series of guide fins 8| preferably formed integrally therewith and extending outwardly to slidably engage with the inner surface of the secondary barrel 4|. The spider 8011s rigidly xed upon the shaft 1| as by a pin 82. Snugly pressed over the shaft 1| is a stop sleeve 85 for hunting the rearward lgQYment of the device 10.

4 Mounted on the rearwardly extending end of the shaft 1| is a cam follower nut 8B having a lug 81 which extends into the cam groove 50 of the cylindrical cam 4l.

Operation lThe gun I0 of this invention is adapted to be used for directing high pressurev sprays with variable amounts of liquid and to deliver at option a rod-like stream of liquid. While applicable in many arts, this invention is particularly useful in the cleaning of automobiles.

Control of the amount of liquid contained in the spray or rod-like stream projected from the gun is accomplished by the size of orifice in the disc 66. Turning the flow on or off is effected by the trigger 30. Control of the spread of the spray or the selective formationof a rod-like stream of liquid is accomplished by rotation of l the cylindrical control sleeve 45. This rotation operates through the cylindrical cam 49 to push and pull on the rod 1| and thus slide the entire liquid guiding and controlling device 10 axially in the secondary barrel 4|. y

As already pointed out, the fins 8| of the spider sleeve 80 of the device 10 bear against the inner surface of the barrel 4| and maintain this device during said sliding movement at all times axially aligned with said barrel. This, of course, also maintains the head 12 and sleeve 15 in true axial alignment with, the nozzle member 80 and the whirling chamber 6| of the latter. When the valve I6 is opened, by pressing on the trigger I0, the liquid rushes from the passage I3 through the barrel andthe adapter 42 into the barrel 4|. In passing through the latter barrel, the liquid is guided by .the guide fins 8| causinglthis liquid to travel in paths disposed just inside of the barrel 4| and parallel with the axis thereof. After traveling through the spaces between the fins 8|. Athe liquid enters the annular space surrounding the head 12 where it passes through an increasingly restricted annular passageway 80, from which it flows as a tubular sheet of liquid into an annular space 9| which is disposed between the frusto-conical face 14 and the reverse frusta-conical face of the fillet 62.

If the space 9| is opened up by the extreme rearward positioning of the device 10 as shown in Fig. 2, the liquid passes directly through the space Il and the nozzle chamber 8| and out through the central aperture in the nozzle disc 8B as a rod-like stream. 'I'he stream is thus formed with a high degree of efficiency, this being due to the axial direction imparted to the liquid as it travels between the guide fins 8| and the disten' tion of these streams into a single tube-like sheet of liquid by the passage of these between the head 12 and the barrel 4|. This tube-like stream of liquid is caused to converge when it strikes the illlet t2, and enters the chamber Bl witha minimum of friction and turbulence and thus produces a maximum of pressure and dynamic energy in the water occupying this chamber. This in turn produces a relatively high velocity in the rod-lilrfstleam of liquidexpelled through the aperture in'the disc".

In order to change this rod to a spray, the operator rotates the sleeve 4l, thus propelling the guide and control device 10 axially forwardly in the barrel 4|. Fig. l shows this operation carried to the point where a relatively iine spray will be emitted from the nozzle of the gun.

As the front end of the tubular whirl sleeve 15 enters the ycylindrical nozzle chamber Bl, thev liquid which theretofore has passed directly from the annular space 9i into the chamber Il, is now forced to flow through the tangential slots 1l into the interior of the sleeve and thence into the chamber 8|. As the liquid 'enters this chamber after passing through the slots 18, it is whirling rapidly about the axis of the nozzle B0 and forms itself into a whirling spray as it passes outwardly through the aperture in the disc li.

It is to be noted that the slots 18 are formed in planes which are parallel with the axis of the liquid guiding and controlling device 10 and are spaced uniformly from this axis, these slots being substantially the full length of the sleeve 1l and being uniformly pitched relative to the axis of the head 12.

Attention is called to the fact that as the head 12 of the device 10 is moved toward the nozzle member Bil, after the sleeve 1l has once entered the chamber 6I. the eective area of the slots 1B is gradually decreased, yet at the same time the angle of the effective portions of these slots relative to the axis of the head 12 remains the` same. Thus, although different quantities of liquid are admitted to the chamber ll for the formation of the'whirling spray by the gun I0, a

relatively constant whirling tendency is imparted to this liquid as it enters this chamber, so that the spray formed by the gun i0, no matter what its intensity, is of substantially the same whirling character.

An outstanding advantage of the present invention resides in the ease with which it can be supported and the controls manipulated with the two hands of the operator without removing either of these hands from the gun. Whether the operator be right-handed or left-handed, he grasps the pistol grip i2 with one hand and, by clasping or partiallyrelaxing the lingers of this hand, controls the valve I5 so as to open or shut this at will without taking this hand from the pistol grip. With the other hand the loperator grasps the sleeve 45 which is connected to the axially shiftable control device 1U in the front or secondary gun barrel 4i. By rotation of this sleeve the operator may control the character of the spray discharged from the nozzle ci' the gun without it being necessary for him to remove from this sleeve the hand with which it is gripped.

lIt is thus clear that the gun may be gripped tightly in both hands of the operator at 'ai times while he is employing it for any purpose such as lwashing automobiles, and yet he is able at an instants notice, to start or stop the ow of liquid through the gun or control the type of spray with which this liquid is discharged from the nozzle of the gun.

I claim:

1. In a spray gun, the combination of: a stationary barrel; a stationary nozzle on the end of said barrel; two grip means on said gun which are located conveniently with reference one to the other, so that the gun may be supported and manipulated in directing the spray therefrom on the objects being sprayed by gripping one of said grip means in the right hand and the other in the left hand; axially shiftable spray control means disposed within said barrel for modifying the character of spray issuing from said nozzle; vmeans extending rearwardly from said spray control means and connecting the same with one of said grip means so that said control means may be actuated by the hand engaging said grip means without disturbing the normal engagement of said grip means and said hand in the manipulation of said gun; a valve for shutting of! or starting a flow of liquid through said barrel; and means for operatively connecting said valve with the second of said grip means so that said now of liquid may be started or shut of! by the hand engaging said second grip means without disturbing the normal engagement of said hand with said second grip means in the support and manipulation of said gun.

2. In a spray gun, the combination of: a stationary barrel comprising two tubular barrel sections, oifset from each other, and a fitting connecting adjacent ends of said sections; a stufiing box in said fitting disposed axially with respect to the 4forwardmost of said sections; a nozzle provided on the front end of said forward barrel section; an axially shiftable spray control device disposed within said forward barrel section; a rod connected to said control device and extending through said stuffing box; a sleeve rotatably mounted on the rearward of said barrel sections; means connecting said sleeve and said rod to efi'ect axial movement of said rod in response to rotary movement of said sleeve; a Vpistol grip connected to the rear end of said rearward barrel section; a. hose connection provided on the upper portion of said pistol grip, there being a passageway between said connection and said rearward barrel section; a valve controlling said passageway; and a trigger on said pistol grip adapted to be actuated by varying the pressure on said trigger of the fingers with which said pistol grip is gripped to open or close said valve.

3. In a spray gun the combination of: a stationary barrel comprising two tubular barrel sections, offset 'from each other, and a fitting connecting adjacent ends of said sections; a stuiiing box in said fitting disposed axially with respect to the forwardmost of said sections; a nozzle provided on the front end of said barrel section; an axially shiftable spray control device disposed within said forward barrel section; a rod connected to said control device and extending through said stuiiing box; a sleeve rotatively mounted on the rearward of said barrel sections; means connecting said sleeve and said rod to effect axial movement of said rod in response to rotary movement of said sleeve; a pistol grip oonnected to the rear end of said rearward barrel section; a hose connection on said gun, there being a passageway between said connection and said rearward barrel section; a valve controlling said passageway; and means on said pistol grip for operating said valve so thatthe dow of liquid through said passageway may be started or shut oil? by the hand grasping said pistol grip without disturbing the normal hold of said hand on said pistol grip in the support and manipulation of said gun.

4. In a spray gun, the combination of: a grip base; a. pistol grip provided thereon; a shut-oi! valve provided on said base; a trigger for oper.. ating said valve by the fingers of one hand holding said pistol grip and without relaxing the hold of said hand on said pistol grip; a barrel fixed upon said base; a, nozzle nxed upon the end of said barrel; a spray control rod disposed within said barrel; means on said rod and actuated by movement thereof to vcontrol the spray emitted from said nozzle; a stufiing box through which said rod extends rearwardly out of said barrel; a grip means provided on said barrel andadapted to be held by the other hand to assist in supporting said gun; and means connecting said grip means to the extending end of said rod to actuate said spray control means by movement of said grip means by the handvholding the same and without relaxing the hold of said lhand on said grip means. Y n

5. In a spray gun, the combination of: a grip base; a pistol grip provided thereon; a shut-ofi' valve provided on rsaid base; a. trigger for operating said valve by the fingers of one hand holding said pistol grip and without relaxing the hold of said hand on `said pistol grip; a barrel fixed upon said base; a nozzle fixed upon the end of said barrel; means within said barrel for cooperating with said nozzle to controlv the spray emitted from said nozzle; a grip vmeans provided on said barrel and adapted to be held by the other hand to assist in supporting said gun; a stuing box connecting the space withinsaid barrel to the exterior thereof; and means extending through said stuiiing box and connecting said grip means to said spray control means to actuate the latterv by movement of said grip means by the hand holding the same and without relaxing the hold of said hand on said grip means.

6. In a spray gun, thevcombination of: a grip base; a pistol grip provided thereon; a shut-oi! valve provided on said base; a trigger for oper. ating said valve by the iingers of one hand holding said pistol grip and "without relaxing the hold of said hand on said pistol grip; a barrel iixed upon said base; a nozzle xed upon the end of said barrel; means within said barrel for cooperating with said nozzle to control the spray emitted from said nozzle; a stufng box having an opening connecting the space within said barrel with the exterior thereof; and means provided onsaid barrel for assisting in the support of said gun and actuating said spray control means with the other hand which includes another grip adapted to be held in said hand and means extending through saidopening in said stuiiing box and connecting said grip to said spraycontrol means whereby the latter may be actuated by movement of said grip by the hand holding the same and without relaxing the hold of said hand on said grip.

HARRY C. STOYCKDALE. 

